His Untamed Love (Cuffs and Spurs Book 4)

by Anya Summers

  She fitted her hand in his and he gave her a wink.

  “I’ll have her back to you in a jiffy, Cole,” Spencer said and towed her along the bar and then to a small office behind it.

  “Have a seat,” he said, indicating the chair across from where he sat behind the desk. “Now, this is just your typical non-disclosure agreement. It’s not a membership or even a temporary one. From what I understand, you’re only visiting Jackson Hole, correct?”

  “Yes. At least, I think I’m only visiting. I’m not sure I want to go back to Chicago and haven’t made a decision yet.”

  Spencer studied her, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Yes, well, if you do decide to make Jackson your home and would like a membership, come see me.”

  Mia read through the documents. He was right in that it was a standard NDA. But then there was a second form to list her limits.

  “I’m sorry, forgive me, but why do I need to fill this second form out if I’m not a member?”

  “It’s so that I know if anyone steps out of line, and I have it recorded here. You and Cole seem to be on the same page, but it’s merely a precaution. You will need to advise Cole of anything on this form that’s a hard no for you if you haven’t already,” Spencer explained.

  “Okay, I think I understand it. Sorry, this is new for me and having a record anywhere of something like this that could be leaked to the press, even with the NDA, is worrisome.”

  “Understandable. It can’t be easy, having your life on display that way, with people everywhere wanting to know all there is to know about you,” Spencer mused.

  “It’s not and is the part of my job I could do without.” Then she gasped. “I can’t believe I said that. Please don’t repeat that to anyone. God, the press would crucify me for that one.”

  “Think of this place as sacrosanct and I’m the priest. Anything said here will not reach anyone else’s ears. You have my word on that.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Do you like what you do, other than the obvious dislike of being in the public eye?” Spencer asked.

  “Yes, I do. I was never a great professor, although I’m sure, given time, I would have done well enough, I suppose. But it was rather empty work, even if I did have a few students who were avid history enthusiasts. Then, once my books gained traction, my classes were full of students not interested in class but in getting to meet me and say they took a class from me. It made teaching rather daunting. Writing fulfills me in a way that teaching didn’t. It’s a tradeoff, I suppose,” she said, handing him the finished documents.

  “All of life is a tradeoff, Mia. One thing for another, one location for another… the trick is to find the place, the job, the relationship where you fit.”

  “And what if you’ve never fit anywhere, except the job?” she asked.

  “Then you need to change your life until it is something that fits you, but most people aren’t brave enough to try,” he said.

  “Are you like the camp counselor here? And everyone comes to you with their problems?”

  Spencer barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Hardly. Perhaps for the subs I am, though. Now, let’s get you back to Cole before he storms the office like the invasion of Normandy.”

  Mia nodded, realizing this was it. The point of no return. When she rejoined Cole, they would do a scene together and she would be naked in front of all these people. Spencer escorted her back into the bar area. Cole was still standing with the group he’d introduced her to, minus Alex and Jackson.

  “Courage, sweetheart. You’ll do fine,” Spencer said, low so that only she could hear.

  She nodded tremulously as Cole broke away from the group and prowled her way. His gaze simmered.

  “Everything all right?” Cole asked, his gaze shifting to Spencer.

  “Absolutely. You two enjoy your evening,” Spencer said and winked at Mia before heading off to rejoin his friends.

  Cole slid his arm around her waist and said, “I ordered you a glass of wine, if you’d like one. Our scene area has opened up already, so once you finish, we can begin.”

  “That was so thoughtful, but I don’t know if I can drink it. I’m too nervous. And I would rather get this over with.”

  “Mia, if you aren’t ready, I won’t force you. I understand this is a big step,” he murmured.

  She shook her head. “No, I want to, I just can feel my anxiety getting the better of me. So if we could just do it, Sir, so I can stop worrying, that would be good.”

  “If you’re sure,” Cole said, hesitation written on his face.

  “I am.”

  He towed her over to the scene area with a St. Andrew’s Cross. It really wasn’t shaped like a cross but a large X. He had explained on the way there that he would restrain her to the cross and then use a flogger on her. It had sounded easy enough. But now, standing before it, Mia had to battle the apprehension that damn near had her in a choke hold. Cole put his hands on her shoulders and she jumped.

  “Easy, city girl. I want you to disrobe for me.”

  Mia gulped, then nodded her assent. Her hands moved to undo the halter top of her dress and she noticed they were shaking. Tiny tremors wracked her frame. But she fought back the anxiety and lowered the top of the dress. The black material was so skintight, she’d opted to go braless. At their sudden exposure, her nipples stiffened. And Mia wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

  She gulped air into her lungs.

  “Look at me, Mia,” Cole commanded.

  Her gaze flicked up to his and a calm settled over her. His dark eyes were filled with warmth and encouragement, steadying her hands. He became her anchor and she found the courage to lower the dress over her hips until she stood before him in nothing but a slip of lace, and heels.

  “Good girl. Finish for me and then stand against the cross facing the wall.” Cole’s voice was gentle, coaxing her from her fear and granting her a measure of confidence.

  Mia did as he asked, studiously avoiding the crowd in the bar. She realized it made her a scared nincompoop but it didn’t matter that she was doing a fine impersonation of an ostrich. If she didn’t see them, she could pretend they weren’t there and wouldn’t feel the etchings of a looming panic attack.

  The glossy black planks of the cross were cool and smooth to the touch. Cole crowded her back and she shivered. His rough hands circled one of her wrists and drew it up, fastening the cuff to the cross. He did the same with her right arm, so that her arms formed a vee.

  “Deep breaths, city girl. You’re doing wonderfully,” he murmured as he fastened a leather strap around her waist before he knelt and restrained her ankles.

  When he was finished, Mia was spread eagle and on complete lockdown. They’d done some bondage, but this was beyond anything they’d tried so far. She waited for the panic to ensue. Waited for her anxiety to go off the rails. But strangely, a remarkable sense of calm permeated her being. If anything, she would have bet that she’d lose her mind, not find a sense of comfort.

  Either that or she was ready for a straitjacket.

  “Now, just like we talked about on the way here, if it gets to be too much or too painful, use your safeword: pearl. Understood?” Cole murmured next to her ear. His husky baritone caused goosebumps to erupt on her skin.

  “Yes, Sir,” she whispered, trying not to tense up. She loved it when he spanked her but this, she wasn’t sure about.

  Cole caressed her back with the leather strips. The soft suede material made tingles erupt everywhere it ventured. Stirrings of need zinged throughout her body. When the strands caressed her behind, she bit her bottom lip to contain her moan.

  This wasn’t so bad. Not what she’d worried about in her mind. Cole’s touch was hypnotic and lulled her into a sense of security. Which was why she was totally unprepared for the first hard thwack against her bottom. Tears stung her eyes and she yelped at the sharp pain radiating from her butt.

  With the next hard whack, the leather cracked
against her bum and she cried out.

  “Deep breaths, city girl,” Cole instructed.

  Unable to move away from the blows, she did as he ordered, breathing deeply. When the next blow against her ass cheeks came, she flinched, but one slap began to bleed into the other. Her butt was on fire, burning with every lash that cracked against her bare bottom.

  Except it was like when he spanked her during sex. It should have turned her off, but it didn’t. In fact, it had quite the opposite effect. Mia’s blood pulsed. Desire flowed like lava in her veins. Her pussy began to throb in time with the blows he rained across her behind.

  The cracks of the flogger against her flesh joined in a cacophony of her mewls and the erotic sounds filling the rest of the club.

  Mia’s mind drained of worries and really any thoughts at all, until she felt like her entire being was floating on this passion-hazed cloud that she didn’t ever want to come down from. Here, she didn’t have any anxiety. It was conspicuously absent. In this space, she was at peace. Cole was relentless with his blows. They were precise. His strikes were hard, enflaming her skin so that she could feel the burn. But that burn flowed to her sex and caused her pussy to spasm and throb.

  Then she noticed the flogger had ceased and she whimpered. She was so close to coming. The fact that he’d stopped now made her incensed. She was about to blister him with a few choice words when his body pressed against hers on the cross and he drew his cock through her labia lips. She was so aroused, she moaned as Cole hissed in her ear.

  “Fuck, Mia, your cunt’s drenched and begging for my cock.”

  “Yes, Sir, please,” she begged, not caring where they were or who was watching. She needed only what he could give her: release.

  His crest pushed against her entrance an inch and held. She moaned, her head dropping back against his shoulder. Cole gripped her hips and plunged until his shaft was enveloped in her heat. Her mouth fell open on a gasp.

  With his hands holding her hips steady, Cole penetrated her sheath in hard thrusts. Her pussy vised around his shaft and clenched. She loved the feel of him inside her, his long, thick cock stretching her sensitive tissues and finding that one spot inside her that sent her over the edge, every, single, time.

  He rolled his hips, withdrawing his cock before he plunged back inside and began to fuck her. He didn’t hold back, pistoning his shaft in hard, forceful thrusts that made her see stars. Deep down, she knew she would never get enough of this man. That with every hammered stroke he claimed another piece of her heart and soul. That he had ruined her for other men. It was his touch she craved, his body, and the way he knew instinctively how to love her best.

  Mia’s moans became one long, drawn out melodious sound.

  “Come for me,” Cole growled. He rammed his shaft at the same time as he snaked one hand around her hip and struck her pussy.

  “Cole,” she keened. Ecstasy burst inside her veins and overwhelmed her system as she climaxed. Her pussy spasmed around his plunging shaft. He jerked against her and hot liquid flooded her pussy as he came. His growls of satisfaction filled her ears.

  He rocked his hips, thrusting his cock and riding the waves of carnal pleasure until the last shudder and tremor had ceased. He stayed embedded inside her, his face buried against the hollow of her neck. His warm breaths puffed against her skin. She could feel herself sliding into a hazy, blissed out state, even as the sounds around them began to return.

  Cole lifted his head, his beard scraping over her check. He brought a hand up, drew her face back toward his, and brushed his mouth against hers in an achingly tender kiss. After the violent storm of their passion, the gentleness bespoke of care, and hope built inside Mia that perhaps she wasn’t alone in her feelings.

  He ended the sweet kiss and gazed at her. “Well done, city girl. I’m proud of you. Now let’s get you down from there, eh?”

  She smiled as warmth unfurled from within her chest. “Yes, Sir.”

  Then he withdrew his semi-hard shaft from her body and she moaned in the back of her throat at the loss. He moved around the scene space, cleaning their fluids up with a warm washcloth. He undid her restraints and wrapped a warm blanket around her shoulders, catching her before her knees gave out on her and carrying her over to one of the nearby couches. Then he went and collected her clothes and shoes before returning to her side and pulling her into his lap.

  She nestled against his chest, her butt sore, her body euphoric, and her heart belonging to her surly sexy cowboy. Her eyelids drooped, she could barely keep her eyes open.

  “I should get you home,” he murmured against her brow.

  “Sounds good, Sir,” she said.

  With that, he carried her into the locker room—never mind that it was the male locker room—and helped her dress, then put his shirt and coat on. Then he led her into the women’s locker room, retrieving her coat and purse from the locker.

  His arm slid about her waist as he escorted her up the stairs into the Teton Cowboy and out into the chill night.

  Mia fell asleep on the drive back to the lodge.

  Chapter 26

  Mia woke with sunlight streaming in the windows, her head pillowed on Cole’s chest. She heard the steady rhythmic thump of his heart. Felt the rise and fall of his chest as he slept. She liked getting this chance to study him without his potent gaze trained on her. In sleep he looked younger, but no less handsome. His male beauty took her breath away, from his proud forehead and strong nose to the full lips shrouded by his dark beard. His eyelashes were thick and long, creating half-moons on his cheeks. There were tiny crinkle lines at the corners of his eyes that were softened in sleep. The longer locks of his sable hair mingled with her chestnut strands over the pillows.

  His musky scent that was part woodsy spice and part Cole surrounded her. His bare chest drew her hands to it, the corded, ripped muscles covered in a pelt of short dark hair surrounding the dusky brown flat discs of his nipples. Her fingers lightly traced one. Her hand seemed to have a mind of its own as it meandered down, following the line of dark hair as it narrowed over his abdomen. His happy trail disappeared beneath the covers and Mia bit her lower lip, pondering whether she should slide her hand beneath the blanket.

  “Don’t stop now, city girl,” Cole murmured, his voice husky with sleep.

  She jerked her hand back and glanced up at his face. His eyes were half-lidded, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you, I just couldn’t resist.”

  He rolled until he was on his side and cupped her chin. His thumb rasped over her lower lip, sending tendrils of heat spiraling through her body.

  “I don’t mind being woken up, especially not like that. You have my full permission to take advantage of me anytime, city girl,” he said huskily.

  Then his mouth claimed hers. Her hands curled into his chest and she knew what she had to do. She couldn’t leave. Not when being here made her happy. Being with Cole made her happy. She was at peace here. She could write here. And maybe this was the place where she fit.

  His mouth left hers and scorched a trail over her neck.

  “Cole,” she gasped.

  “Mmhmm?” he mumbled, his mouth busy.

  “I’m going to stay in Jackson a while longer, stay here a while longer.”

  He stilled against her and lifted his head. “Why?”

  “Um, because I like it here and there’s nothing urgent or pressing that I need to return to in Chicago. I can work here. And, if I stay, we could continue seeing each other,” she explained.

  “Mia, this thing between us is temporary and has an expiration date. Staying a week or so longer won’t keep that from happening,” Cole said. All the warmth that had been in his eyes had fled, leaving them flat and cold.

  Mia asked, “Why not? We obviously have something between us. After last night, I thought…”

  He moved, rolling away from her and out of the bed. She sat up, clutching the covers to her chest, her heart
hammering.

  Cole said, regret lacing his deep baritone, “Mia, I don’t do long term relationships. Let’s not make this more than what it is, you staying another week won’t matter in the long run.”

  She flinched like she’d been struck. “People change, Cole. I know I have since I’ve been here. Why? Is it me you don’t want for more than a few fuck fests?”

  “It’s not like that, and don’t put words in my mouth,” he snapped.

  “Then explain it to me. You never told me why you don’t do relationships,” she said, perilously close to breaking down. This morning had started so wonderfully, only to take a hard left.

  “Because I’ve had the love of my life, and that type of thing doesn’t come more than once in a lifetime,” he said with a defeated sigh.

  Mia’s heart shattered. She actually felt it break as if it were a glass pane.

  “And what happened? Why aren’t you still with this paragon?” she snapped, lashing out at him over the gaping hole in her chest.

  “Lana died, Mia. She didn’t want to leave, but had the choice taken from her,” he replied solemnly. The way he looked at her with regret swimming in his black gaze was almost too much to bear.

  “Cole. I’m sorry. I just, you’ve decided to close yourself off and not experience joy and love. And I know you feel something for me,” Mia whispered, unable to stop a tear from spilling down her cheek.

  “Mia, I care about you, but I don’t have any more to give you than that. Let’s just enjoy your last week here and—”

  “No. I’d like you to leave,” she said, retreating from him. If she couldn’t have all of him, she didn’t want his scraps.

  “Mia. I’m sorry. I wish it was different—that I was different.”

  She slid out of bed and pulled her robe on. She whirled on Cole, fury emanating from her in such lacerating waves, she was surprised there weren’t sparks flying out of her fingertips.